Author: News Desk

Border trade activity down 9.7% in first 5 months
27Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Border trade activity down 9.7% in first 5 months

Border trade activity down 9.7% in first 5 months Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo is a key border trade district between Thailand and Cambodia. (Bangkok Post photo) Thailand's cross-border trade fell by 9.7% year-on-year in the first five months of 2020 as the coronavirus ravaged the global economy and led neighbouring countries to close nearly all border checkpoints. The Foreign Trade Department on Thursday said the country's overall cross-border trade, including transit trade, totalled 524.35 billion baht from January to May, with Malaysia remaining the biggest partner by value. Transit trade involves the passage of goods through more than one country. Of the total figures, exports from Thailand were 305.72 billion baht, down 9% from the first five months of last year, while imports were 2...
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Canadian Museum of Human Rights CEO resigns over allegations
26Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Canadian Museum of Human Rights CEO resigns over allegations

WINNIPEG—The president and CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has resigned following recent allegations of systemic racism, discrimination and claims of sexual harassment at the Winnipeg facility. The museum’s board of trustees says John Young has agreed that it is in the best interest of the museum that he step down, effective immediately. “We will act quickly to improve museum processes and our policies, and to rebuild relationships and trust with our staff and those we have let down, especially the Black and Indigenous communities, people of colour and LGBTQ2+ communities,” board chairwoman Pauline Rafferty said Thursday in a news release. “We apologize unreservedly for what has happened and we know that the fight against systemic racism, homophobia, inequality and all forms
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Alaska fishing boat has 85 crew members infected with virus
26Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Alaska fishing boat has 85 crew members infected with virus

UNALASKA, Alaska - A factory fishing vessel that docked in the Alaska fishing port of Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands has 85 crew members infected on board with the coronavirus, officials said. The boat named the American Triumph has departed the Dutch Harbor community of Unalaska late Sunday or early Monday and will travel hundreds of miles to the community of Seward, arriving Wednesday, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Sunday. The 85 infected workers represent more than two-thirds of the crew on the ship owned by Seattle-based American Seafoods Group LLC, one of the biggest firms in the billion-dollar Bering Sea pollock fishery. The crew members who tested positive and medical personnel will be taken to Anchorage for further care and monitoring after the ship arrives in Seward. Ame
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Coffee and tea prosper despite economic troubles
26Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Coffee and tea prosper despite economic troubles

Thais haven't lost their taste for an invigorating cup, and more brands are expected to pour in. Businesses remain hamstrung by the pandemic, leading most enterprises to freeze their investment amid the uncertainty. The flagship %Arabica store in the heart of Iconsiam opened in early June. Yet some companies are bucking the trend. Several coffee shops and tea chains debuted their business shortly after the government announced its lockdown measures. Among them are %Arabica, the Japanese specialty coffee brand, which opened in early June at Iconsiam mall. Thai tea chain Brew Bar and Canadian coffee shop Tim Hortons also recently opened new cafes at Seacon Square Bangkae. Many more are scheduled to debut their coffee and milk tea chains in Thailand soon, including BubbleZ, Milk Shop, M...
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PM must learn to turn other cheek
26Jul By News DeskNo Comments
Opinion, World

PM must learn to turn other cheek

PM must learn to turn other cheek After six years in office and having earned the unenviable reputation of being an "angry pot" for his occasionally unprovoked outbursts at Government House reporters, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha might have thought it was about time for him to change tack and reach out to media outlets that he didn't appear to admire. Last week, the prime minister, accompanied by a small team of aides, visited several print media offices, including the Bangkok Post, Post Today, Thai Rath, Daily News, Naew Na and the Matichon Group among others. The media tour was said to be a part of the "new normal" way of working where the prime minister engages with society and exchanges opinions on how to move Thailand forward and, under the present circumstances in the wake of ...
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Three arrested after demonstrators splash paint on statues of John A. Macdonald and Egerton Ryerson
26Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Three arrested after demonstrators splash paint on statues of John A. Macdonald and Egerton Ryerson

Three people were arrested after protesters splashed paint on statues of Egerton Ryerson and John A. Macdonald in downtown Toronto on Saturday morning, police said. Around 35 protesters surrounded the statue of Ryerson at Ryerson University, near Bond and Gould Streets, and hurled pink paint at it. A banner placed around the base of the statue said, “Tear down monuments that represent slavery, colonialism, and violence.” A statue of John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, was also defaced by a group of around 60 protesters at Queen’s Park. A photograph posted to social media showed Black Lives Matter protesters pouring pink paint on the statue. A video posted online on Saturday morning appeared to show demonstrators being detained by police at Queen’s Park. Toronto police lat
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Agencies told to prepare for haze
26Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Agencies told to prepare for haze

Agencies told to prepare for haze The Pollution Control Department has warned that seasonal haze in the southern portion of the kingdom is expected to be worse this year due to a drought in neighbouring countries, prompting the Environment Ministry to call on agencies to prepare measures to limit the damage. According to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), temperatures in the lower parts of the region are expected to rise from July to September, leading to a possibility of intense transboundary haze pollution in the South. Various ministries, the armed forces and local government bodies attended a meeting with the department yesterday in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, where they discussed preliminary measures to prevent local and transboundary haze pollution. Minister of...
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Facebook ramps up efforts to curb ‘hateful content’ in ads
25Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Facebook ramps up efforts to curb ‘hateful content’ in ads

Facebook ramps up efforts to curb 'hateful content' in ads Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, seen in an October 2019 picture, said the social network will step up efforts to curb hateful content and also add tags to rule-breaking posts that are "newsworthy". WASHINGTON: Facebook said Friday it would ban a "wider category of hateful content" in ads as the embattled social media giant moved to respond to widening protests over its handling of inflammatory posts. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook also would add tags to posts that are "newsworthy" but violate platform rules -- following the lead of Twitter, which has used such labels on tweets from President Donald Trump. The initiative comes with the leading social network facing a growing boycott by advertisers -- with Anglo-Dutc...
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Cambodian tourist province bans ‘alarming’ dog meat trade
25Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Cambodian tourist province bans ‘alarming’ dog meat trade

Cambodian tourist province bans 'alarming' dog meat trade Dogs are kept in a cage as a woman boils water at a slaughterhouse in Siem Reap province, on Oct 25, 2019. (AFP file photo) PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian province popular with tourists has banned the trade and slaughtering of dogs for meat, saying that canines are loyal and capable of protecting property and even serving in the military. Siem Reap province, home to the ancient Angkor Wat ruins, is the first place to issue such a ban in Cambodia, where an estimated three million dogs a year are slaughtered for meat. Siem Reap, visited by more than 2 million tourists annually, has been identified as a dog meat hotspot responsible for the large-scale sourcing and trafficking of Cambodian canines, according to animal welfare group FOUR PA...
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Philippines: China should comply with sea feud ruling
22Jul By News DeskNo Comments
World

Philippines: China should comply with sea feud ruling

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines on Sunday renewed its call for compliance with a 4-year-old arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s vast claims in the disputed South China Sea on historical grounds “without any possibility of compromise.” Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. issued the call on the anniversary of the July 12, 2016, ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague that he said “conclusively settled the issue of historic rights and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea” based on the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. “The award is non-negotiable,” Locsin said in a statement. “The tribunal authoritatively ruled that China’s claim of historic rights to resources within the sea ... had no basis in law.” It’s the strongest statement the Philippines ha
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